Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a method and apparatus for controlling energy consumption of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for differently controlling various electrical loads in a vehicle according to selection by a driver.
Discussion of the Related Art
With increasing amounts of electrical equipment (or electronic sub-assemblies (ESAs)) being equipped in vehicles, electric energy consumption in vehicles has been gradually increasing. As a result, in addition to the power needed for driving a vehicle, additional electric energy is consumed to operate the ESAs. Electric energy consumption for operating the ESAs may result in a decrease in fuel efficiency and an increase in CO2 emissions.
To solve this problem, various electric energy management (EEM) systems have recently been developed. Representative examples of the systems include an alternator management system (AMS) and an idle stop & go (ISG) system. However, these systems approach this problem from the viewpoint of energy production loss.
On the other hand, fewer systems have been developed from the viewpoint of energy consumption, that is, with regard to control of energy consumed by an electrical load, since driver convenience may be degraded if the electrical load is controlled. In other words, when a system that controls an electrical load actively decreases electric energy used for an ESA, the system may change the performance, operation time, or the like of the electrical load irrespective of or contrary to the intention of a driver, which may lead to decrease in driver satisfaction.
Recently, research has been actively conducted on techniques for controlling energy consumed by an electrical load in order to contribute to improvement in fuel efficiency. However, designing a control method which is not contrary to the intention of the driver and does not degrade convenience can be challenging. To address this challenge, the present disclosure proposes a method of efficiently implementing control of an electric load through selection by a driver.